


Like a Fish out of Water

by megapidgeots



Series: Galar Power Couple(s) [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/F, Femslash February, First Dates, First Kiss, Sonia and Nessa deserve more fics where they're the focus so here you go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22517821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megapidgeots/pseuds/megapidgeots
Summary: Nessa is elated to be on a date with Sonia - but she can't help thinking that she has to do something to make it special. Thinking on the spot, she brings Sonia to a secret getaway that she's never shown anyone else.
Relationships: Rurina | Nessa/Sonia
Series: Galar Power Couple(s) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612522
Comments: 16
Kudos: 159





	Like a Fish out of Water

**Author's Note:**

> So when the official artwork of the Sword and Shield gym leaders was released, a friend of mine pointed out that several of the gym leaders, most notably Nessa and Piers, look like they may have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - a disorder which may include (but isn't limited to) joint hyper-mobility. As someone who has EDS, I, of course, immediately wanted to write a fic that involved that, so this is a bit self-indulgent in that regard. 
> 
> but also... Sonia and Nessa deserve more content! They have so much material in the game! I mean, Nessa goes out of her way to bring Sonia fresh seafood! Canonically! I LOVE that!
> 
> Happy femslash feb - enjoy the fic! Let me know if you do! <3

Nessa watches Sonia out of the corner of her eye as they step out of the Hulbury market together. Sonia is humming happily to herself as she nibbles on deep fried Magikarp fillet. She comments on how good the batter is, offers Nessa some. Nessa smiles and shakes her head, taking a sip of her bubble tea instead. She has her drink in a vice grip, and as she reflects, she thinks she’s never been this nervous.

She knows Sonia likes her, a lot, and she knows she feels the same. They’re on a date - they used those words. They both know it’s a date. They hadn’t beat around the bush, like other members of the league were wont to do. Raihan and Leon have been pining uselessly after each other for years. She doesn’t want to be like that. It’s hard to hold a reasonable train of thought when Sonia is so,  _ so  _ cute. She’s wearing that green crop top she likes, and a white pair of shorts. Nessa thinks, not for the first time, that the little heart hairpins she wears are the cutest things in the world. 

She’s so enamored in looking at her companion that she false-steps at the bottom of a small set of stone stairs. Her ankle rolls and she falls, bubble tea crashing and spilling onto the pavement. It’s fine, really. Because of her hyper-mobile joints, this sort of thing happens more than she’d care to admit. When she hears Sonia gasp, however, she thinks it might be best to just accept her fate. She burrows her face into the fabric of her bulky sweater and groans. A moment later, she feels Sonia’s hand on her back.

“Are you alright? That looked like it hurt.”

“Peachy,” Nessa says. She pushes herself onto her knees, then sits back, glaring at her fallen drink. “Waste of perfectly good tea.” 

Sonia looks over her, concern clear in her wide eyes, and Nessa winces. She hates having to explain this. “My ankles just roll sometimes.”

Sonia frowns. “You did always fall a lot when we were kids,” she leans over to rest her hand on Nessa’s knee, “clumsy, are we?”

“Something like that.” Nessa hauls herself up and pulls out her phone. She re-adjusts her hair in the dark reflection. This date is going terrible. Sonia will never want to go on another date with her at this rate, and Nessa will never ask for one anyway, because all she’s done so far is stare, talk about water-type Pokemon, and fall over.

“So,” Sonia wraps one of her arms around Nessa’s, “what do you do when you aren’t training?” 

Nessa relaxes a bit, both because Sonia doesn’t seem fussed, and because the question gives her an idea. Swimming. She never embarasses herself when she’s swimming. Nessa smiles and reaches to twine her fingers with Sonia’s. “Come with me,” she whispers, before taking off at a quick walk. She feels Sonia squeeze her hand, and she smiles a bit wider. 

Sonia furrows her brow as they reach a small section of forest on the outskirts of Hulbury, but she doesn’t question it. She continues to follow Nessa. “I could be taking you to sacrifice to the Gigantamax Dreadnaw gods,” Nessa hums. Sonia snorts.

“Love, I’ve researched every Pokemon god, and s’far as I know, there are no  _ Gigantamax  _ gods.” 

Nessa smiles, then pauses for a moment, “Tell me about what gods there are, then. It’s a bit of a walk,” she says moving, hand never leaving Sonia’s. Sonia hesitates at first, but then begins her ramble about various deities. Arceus, she says, is the most commonly accepted god of all Pokemon, but they have no solid proof that it created all Pokemon, which Nessa finds interesting. Arceus was the only god they learned about in school. She mentions Mew and Xerneas as other creation Gods. Nessa enjoys watching her expressions as she speaks. She’s so intent. There’s a fire in her eyes. Nessa has known Sonia since they were gym challengers together, and never before has she seen this  _ passion _ from the other woman. She wants to kiss her, but, fearing it would be too soon, she refrains.

“It’s good you found your calling,” she says, “you were always with Leon and Raihan during our gym challenge, but anyone could see you weren’t in it in the same way.”

Sonia nods, “I applied to be Opal’s student, actually, before I decided to turn to research. I almost passed, if you’ll believe it.”

Nessa hums, “You might have had to dye your hair pink, though- we’re almost there, by the way.” 

A few moments later, they’re emerging into a clearing, through the center of which runs a river. At this point, the water is a mixture of salt and fresh- the best kind, Nessa thinks. More importantly, the water is slow-flowing, and as a result, several deep pools have formed along the way. Nessa shrugs off her sweater and tosses it at the base of a tall boulder that she proceeds to climb onto. The tip stands ten feet above one of the aforementioned pools. Making sure her ankles aren’t about to roll out from under her, Nessa pauses before flinging herself forward and diving into the water. 

The coolness envelops her in the best possible way. She feels a chill prickling on her limbs, and within seconds, it’s like she’s become part of the water. She bursts to the surface and lets out a loud laugh.

“Come in!” she calls, waving a hand. Sonia is standing at the bank, eyes wide. She swallows and kicks off her shoes, then steps in, up to her ankles. “Sunny! You can do better than that.”

Sonia blushes at the nickname- and Nessa loves how obvious the blush is on her pale skin- but shakes her head  _ no _ . Nessa frowns and sinks into the water up to her nose, then moves forward, towards the shore, stopping when she can touch her toes to the bottom. “What’s wrong?”

Sonia pauses, “Open water is… it’s freaky. I can’t see the bottom.”

Nessa stiffens, then looks down. She was really hoping to share this with Sonia, but she hadn’t even bothered to ask if this was the type of thing she’d like. Sonia, clearly noticing her disappointment, mutters an apology. Nessa sighs and wades until she can sit at Sonia’s feet. Sonia shuffles so that she can sit back on the rocks without getting her shorts wet.

“No, it’s okay. I just, uh- you know how I fell over earlier?” Nessa asks. Sonia nods. “Well, okay, I have an awesome body, right?” humor always made talking about it easier. Sonia hums and tips her head. “So, here’s the thing - my joints… bend too much. Like, my knees bend like, backward. It’s sorta- uhg, so sometimes I fall over, and long walks hurt, and it’s right embarrassing, because I’m a gym leader- I’m basically an athlete, but-” she slaps her hand onto the surface of the water. “So I swim. I can’t really fall over when I’m in the water, and if I do, well, I just fall into more water. And if it’s cold, it numbs my joints. I’ve always found it comforting. I wanted to show you something of me - I’ve never shown anyone this. I’m sorry I didn’t think about a fear of water,” she sighs, “it’s such a common fear-”

“Nessa.”

“I mean, I really should have considered-”

“ _ Nessa.” _

__ Nessa pauses. Sonia is leaning forward, that same fire from earlier lighting her eyes. Nessa flushes. “Sorry.”

Sonia sighs. “Don’t be. You’re beautiful.”

It’s not something she’s ever been told after talking about her joint problems. She’s gotten a lot of  _ ‘that’s weird’  _ or  _ ‘that sounds like it hurts’  _ but never that. She blinks, then begins to laugh. She brings her knees up to her face and presses her mouth to the backs of them to hide how  _ ugly  _ and loud she’s laughing. “And you’re a sap!”

“Oi!” Sonia snaps, though she’s smiling ear to ear. She reaches forward and splashes water at Nessa, “I mean it! I’m just grateful you’re honest with me. You know most of the gym leaders have honesty issues.”

Nessa hums and stretches out, letting her legs slip so they’re lying almost flat in front of her, slipping back under the surface of the water. She reaches back and bunches her hair together, then pulls it so it’s up high, like a ponytail. Then, in a deep voice, she says, “I’m Raihan. I think Leon is  _ so _ handsome, but I’m gonna bury it in a fake rivalry so he never suspects I want to kiss him.” 

Sonia lets out a loud, barking laugh, so unlike the restrained giggles she’s been sporting for the majority of the date, and Nessa can’t help but smile so wide it hurts. Sonia pulls the elastic out of her hair and runs her fingers through it a few times before clearing her throat and, speaking in an equally deep voice, “I’m Leon - I’ve been in love with Raihan since I was fourteen, but I think I’m being very subtle about it. Oh, woe is me, he’ll never love me. I suppose I must pine forever.”

Now it’s Nessa’s turn to ugly laugh. She snorts, and she has to pull her knees up again to hide her face as her entire body shakes with laughter. She feels like she can’t breathe, and doesn’t know how to stop until Sonia interrupts her thoughts.

“Teach me.”

Nessa wheezes. She looks up and brushes tears from the corner of her eyes. “Teach you?”

“To swim.” Sonia looks suddenly serious. “I want to swim with you.” 

Nessa blinks, and she’s overwhelmed with affection for a moment. Sonia wants to swim, for her. She’s never felt so… uhg! “Come here,” she says, standing up. Where she is, the water goes up to her waist. Sonia pauses, then wades forward. She’s still in her clothes, but they’re thin, and Nessa will be with her the whole time, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Sonia steps close to her, and Nessa places her hands on the other woman’s hips, still about an inch above the water. Sonia is warm. She smiles, and guides Sonia’s hands so they’re resting on her shoulders.

“I’m going to walk back. I got you, okay?” 

Sonia’s grip on her shoulders tightens as she takes careful steps back. She mutters reassurances that Sonia is doing great, and stops to offer gentle smiles when she feels her shake a little. Eventually, Sonia is up to her shoulders in water, and Nessa can’t tell if she’s shivering from cold or trembling. “You okay?”

Sonia wrinkles her nose, “It’s like stepping into a bloody refrigerator,” she grumbles. Nessa laughs.

“Duck your head, then.”

“Oh! Fuck no, love,” Sonia says in a sing-song voice.

“It’ll make you feel less cold.” 

“I  _ quite  _ doubt that.”

Nessa hums and leans closer, so that her arms are wrapped tight around Sonia under the water and her face is only an inch apart. “C’mon now,  _ miss clever clogs _ ,” she echos the affectionate nickname she’s heard Raihan call her, “you know I’m right.”

Sonia blinks, “If I do it, will you kiss me?” she asks, sounding a bit breathless.

Nessa wants to tell her that she’d kiss her anyway, but instead, she says, “Yep! Get under the water.”

Sonia drops down, water slashing Nessa’s face. Her date emerges a moment later with a gasp, teeth cackling, “I’m st-still c-cold as  _ balls,  _ Ness!”

Nessa hums and reaches over. She brushes a hand against Sonia’s cheek and the professor-to-be stiffens, though her teeth are still chattering a bit - less now. Nessa presses a soft, brief kiss to Sonia’s lips.

Sonia whines when she pulls away. “I deserve another - I’ve been so brave, Ness.”

Nessa rolls her eyes, “You can just ask for more kisses - you don’t need an excuse.” But she doesn’t hesitate before she leans in again. Sonia is soft, and she tastes like salt and fish. Nessa is obsessed. She feels Sonia squeeze her shoulders as she leans forward, humming against Nessa’s lips.

When they pull apart, Sonia asks, “Can we see a movie or something on our next date? I want to learn how to swim, but… I also just want to cuddle and snog.”

Nessa beams, “Next date?” she pauses, a cheeky grin spreading across her features, “Sonia, how presumptuous.” 

Sonia scoffs, “Please, I’m not leaving this date without a girlfriend,” she pauses, “s’long as that’s what you want.”

Nessa’s chest warms. She leans in and nuzzles into the crook of Sonia’s neck. “I think I’d like a girlfriend,” she whispers. She presses a kiss to Sonia’s neck and feels her shiver. “Now, let’s get you warmed up. We can still watch a movie.” 


End file.
